


My Hand, My Heart, My Neck

by ceryses



Series: Dimitri & Byleth: Love beyond Time [5]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Byleth takes advice from Claude, Claude does not profit, F/M, Female My Unit | Byleth, dimileth, school days
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-09-09
Packaged: 2020-10-13 06:57:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20578361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ceryses/pseuds/ceryses
Summary: Byleth overhears Claude and Hilda saying certain things that'll make any professor blush. She decides to confess the same to Dimitri, because why not really?(Or: Byleth just wanted to do some gardening, but this is fine too. Probably.){Part 1 of 2}





	My Hand, My Heart, My Neck

Byleth had simply been minding her own business in the greenhouse, for Seiros’ sake. She just wanted to enjoy her day off in peace and not have to worry about being an enforcer of rules - it was her first true respite in quite some time; winter had finally turned into spring. Unfortunately for her, there seemed to be more blooming this season than just the plants she was so diligently pruning.

Carefully tending to the budding blue peonies, the mildly aggrieved professor heard rustling and giggles that were unmistakeably coming from behind a large vase which was conveniently placed in a corner by some large trees. Byleth raised a thoughtful eyebrow, quietly placing down her watering can so that she could silently pad over.

‘…You know, there are a lot of things I’d do for you,’ a male voice commented casually, almost lazily. Almost instantly, an amused, lilting female voice responded.

‘Aww, really? You’re so sweet!’

‘Heh, yup – I’d let you grasp me any day. My hand, my heart… even my neck.’

‘_Now_ you’re making me blush, Claude.’

‘But you know it’s true, Hilda, don’t ‘cha?’ 

‘Oh, yes, I do,’ Hilda giggled, ‘and I’d love to grasp as much of you as I can.’

Byleth stopped breathing for a second, cheeks flaring dark pink. She knew that she was inexperienced – quite woefully so – with all things romance, but even she knew what the Golden Deer girl was alluding to. It wasn’t like she hadn’t any imagination at all – especially lately, with a certain student that she taught... her mind had been so… no, she couldn’t go there. 

Surely they would stop talking soon, so that she could butt in. Well, hopefully. 

‘…I’d let you, you know. Whenever, wherever you want. Truth is, Hilda, I’ve been feeling this way about you for a long time. I just know that if we got together, our worlds would become a lot better.’

‘How about later tonight, then? I know _just_ the place.’

‘I bet I know where you’re talking about – the statue room in the cathedral?’

‘Claude, you know me sooo well!’

‘Well, yeah. You and I? We’re one and the same.’

Byleth couldn’t take it any longer – the thought of Hanneman, Seteth or _Rhea_ finding out about this was terrifying. She pushed aside the vase with ease, finding Claude and Hilda sitting calmly apart with a twinkle in both of their eyes. 

‘Hey, Teach. You finally decide you wanna join us?’ 

‘Claude,’ Byleth hissed quietly, ‘what are you two doing? What are you thinking?’ She rounded on Hilda. ‘Do you know how much trouble you two would get into if you were caught?’

‘Nah,’ Hilda flicked her pigtails behind her shoulders, ‘we won’t ‘cause we’re not like that.’

The poor professor tilted her head quizzically. ‘What do you mean?’

‘All that stuff I said to Hilda? I don’t feel that way about her – we’re best friends.’ Claude winked slyly at Byleth. ‘I was just doing some practice for my _real_ special someone. Problem is, Hilda here isn’t the greatest at pretending to be the person I’m actually into.’

The pink-haired student pouted. ‘Hey, I gave it my all!’

‘Say, Teach, maybe _we_ could practice together sometime. How ‘bout a cup of tea? You and I could talk it over.’ Claude ran his hand through his hair and smiled gently at Byleth, who still felt rather confused.

‘You’re a pro flirter, Claude, but I already have tea planned with someone else today. I apologize.’

Claude’s smile drooped ever so slightly, but he had a knowing glint in his eyes. ‘Dimitri again, I suppose?’

Byleth’s heart thrummed in her chest; she suddenly found it a little hard to breathe. It felt quite similar as to when she sat with the Blaiddyd heir; his kind, ocean eyes always felt as though they sunk straight into her soul. She knew she ought not feel this sort of way toward him, but she could not help it. Inviting him over for tea (which he always accepted with happy gusto) was one of the main ways she could think of keeping him by her side. Judging by the look on Claude’s face, she knew that _he_ knew. 

‘Uh, Professor?’ Hilda sounded mildly scandalised. ‘Are you blushing? That’s so cute!’

‘Ah… no. I am not.’ Byleth kept her face as composed as possible. ‘Anyway, you two should move on. I don’t think you want Seteth to catch you – he said he’d be coming here soon.’

‘Guess that’s our cue,’ Claude mused, ‘we won’t bother you anymore, Teach. Alright, we’ll be seeing ya!’ He looked at Hilda meaningfully. ‘Oh, and I think I can speak for both of us when I say that maybe you should try telling some of the stuff you heard to Prince Proper… he _might_ just enjoy it.’ The Golden Deer duo moved away with a cheery wave; Byleth let out a sigh of relief as she stared vacantly at chamomile flowers she’d worked hard on growing.

Would it be alright to indulge herself a little bit? It was just tea, after all. She wanted to scold herself for thinking improperly of the Blue Lions leader, but her heart was always so desperately left wanting. And sometimes, just sometimes… she wondered if he felt the same way. Heart in her mouth, Byleth resolved (as seriously as she could): she would try to tease Dimitri.

***

‘How warm and comforting,’ Dimitri mused, holding a dainty teacup that looked fragile in his large hands, ‘you outdo yourself every time, Professor. But I must ask – why are you wearing gloves today?’

Byleth smiled gently at her favourite student, feeling glad. He had been too busy to visit of late, choosing to focus on his paladin’s exam with determined vigour. As a result, Byleth had put in a little extra effort into today’s teatime, waking early to prepare various snacks for them to eat. She’d received a burn from a particularly hot pan, which was hidden by ointment, a bandage and her black gloves – but nothing could escape the eye of her watchful student. ‘It’s just a little cold today, is all. How was your exam?’

‘Hm…’ Dimitri raised a disbelieving eyebrow before proudly sitting straight. ‘I received full marks. It’s all thanks to your excellent training – I also had a little help from Sylvain with the riding part.’

‘I’m glad,’ Byleth nodded approvingly, ‘you deserve it, after all your hard work.’

A slight blush dusted the blonde boy’s cheeks as he looked away shyly. ‘I-If I’m not being too forward, I’d love to invite you to ride with me when you’ve a free moment, Professor. I truly wish to thank you… and the peonies are blooming this time of year, after all.’

It was Byleth’s turn to flush crimson and stare straight into her teacup. ‘That sounds lovely.’

Dimitri rested his chin on the palm of his hand, smiling faintly at her. ‘Then it’s settled. We’ll go next weekend.’

‘Um, Dimitri…’ Byleth felt as though she could drill a hole straight through her picnic table. ‘I just want you to know that…’ She trailed off, clasping her hands together nervously.

‘Did I say something wrong? I apologise if I did.’ The Blaiddyd looked at her imploringly. He reached out his hand as though to grasp hers, before withdrawing it as though he were about to touch molten lava. Cheeks scarlet, he looked down and muttered, ‘…Was I… too much?’

‘No! No, it’s not that at all. Um, it’s just that Claude told me that I should tell you something. He said, um, that you might enjoy it if you heard it from me.’

His eyes widened incredulously. ‘And what might that be?’

Byleth floundered, heart hammering. ‘Promise that you won’t be offended, or come to hate me, but I really thought that you ought to know and I-’

‘Professor. I would never think less of you. Not now, not ever. Please, feel free to tell me anything.’ Dimitri shook his head as though to clear away some thought. She watched him chew his bottom lip; before she knew it, he had rested his head on both his hands and was staring intently at her, fully alert.

‘Then, uh…’ Byleth couldn’t quite understand why this was so hard. ‘Well, Dimitri.’

‘Yes, Professor?’ He breathed back.

‘Please know that I would let you grasp me any day. My hand, my heart…’ Byleth gulped nervously as she watched her student’s face turn an alarming shade of bright red, ‘even my neck.’ 

‘P-P-Professor?!’

‘Ah, Seiros, I knew it was too much after all…’ Byleth moaned into her hands as she hid her face, unwilling to look at her charge. ‘I’m sorry, Dimitri. I shouldn’t have told you.’

‘Professor…’ Dimitri didn’t _sound_ angry; rather, he sounded surprised. Still, she couldn’t look, couldn’t know what kind of damage she’d caused.

‘If I could take it back, I would, I just-’

‘Professor.’ The prince sounded stern. Byleth flinched ever so slightly as she felt him pull her hands away from her face. ‘Please, look at me.’

She looked.

Dimitri’s cerulean gaze was bright and raw, soft blonde locks messy from where he’d run his hands through. Nothing spoke of anger, rather; he looked… happy? Byleth tilted her head; he smiled. ‘It’s quite alright, Professor. It’s just, you hit me right _here_.’ He leaned over the table so that he could press her hand to his rapidly beating heart before lowering his voice to a quiet murmur. ‘And nothing could make me happier.’ 

‘Dimitri…’

‘As for what you said, well… I would love to grasp your hand each and every day. Your heart, eternally. Your neck…’ His voice grew dark and husky, ‘I’d like to come to know it very, very well.’ The thrumming of his heart against her palm was the only thing that gave away the nervousness behind his confident words.

Byleth flushed at the prince’s sultry tone; Dimitri suddenly looked more man than boy. ‘I’m glad I didn’t upset you.’

He laughed at that, staring at her lips. ‘As though you could ever. But I must say, Professor, this was the most perfect teatime.’

‘So then, same time next week…?’

Dimitri gave her a knowing smile that pierced through her spirit. ‘Let’s try somewhere with just you and I, shall we?’ He took a final sip from his teacup before standing. ‘Thank you, Professor. I’ll see you again soon.’

Byleth couldn’t hide the slow smile in return from her face, aware of the heavy tension that floated like a fog between them. ‘It’ll be our little secret.’ She followed him to the gate that lead to the hustle and bustle of the monastery. ‘Goodbye, Dimitri.’

‘Goodbye, Professor…’ Dimitri kissed the back of her hand as though on impulse; she marvelled at the way his lips lingered (if only she wasn’t wearing gloves after all)! ‘I’ll think of you tonight.’ His voice had a dark, melodious edge to it, making her blush even more. 

As she stared at his imposing, handsome body making strides across the grounds, Byleth couldn’t help but think that she had Claude and Hilda to thank for some things after all. As crazy as the words had been, they’d _worked_ \- and now she had all day and night to think of some surreptitious interludes with her Blue Lions prince. Teacher or not, she’d be damned to let this opportunity pass her by.

And they both knew it.

**Author's Note:**

> The idea for this story was taken from an image that was sent to me by a friend the other day.  
Here's the link!
>
>> how to be a pro flirter [pic.twitter.com/4D9fb1yPvM](https://t.co/4D9fb1yPvM)
>> 
>> — bana 🍌 @ dimitri stink (@banakiri) [September 4, 2019](https://twitter.com/banakiri/status/1169318698558996483?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> 
> I know the characters are more 'relaxed' here, so to speak heh, I just wanted to let them live a little. Less death, more play!
> 
> Should I write a joining chapter with a salacious student-teacher rendezvous? Let me know (:


End file.
